This month’s Spotlight of the Month honors Andrew Bowers!
Andrew is a 33-year-old who stutters. He was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, migrated across the U.S. during his early childhood and finally landed in McKinney, Texas his sophomore year in high school. After high school, he attended the University of North Texas for his undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders and graduate degree is Speech-Language Pathology. Andrew has been working in public schools as a speech-language pathologist for nine years. Andrew’s interests include board games, performing arts, improv, magic, and the art of clowning. He currently lives in Carrollton with his wife and 6-year-old daughter.
Andrew has stuttered since he began talking. Throughout his life, he had been in an out of speech therapy programs. He recalls his favorite programs were the speech camps hosted by Indiana University when he was a teenager. Andrew says, “It was the first time I realized I wasn’t alone and could build lifelong friendships with people just like me”. In 2007, Andrew attended his first NSA meeting at the Callier Center in Dallas and the rest was history. He was soon in love with all things NSA and as a result attended his first NSA Conference in 2008. Andrew quickly became involved in the NSA and has been a trailblazer in the stuttering community since. In the years to follow, he helped develop the “20-Something’s” program at the national conference’s which has now developed into the “Young Adults Program”. “I wanted to help young adults and adults who feel alone realize there is an amazing and supportive family waiting for them with open arms.” He was chapter leader of the Dallas Adult Chapter from February 2011 to February of 2016.
Next time you see Andrew ask him to show you his best “mime stuck in a box” impersonation!